Magpies 'discriminated against' on Owen insurance: Shepherd
Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has accused the Football Association of discrimination for allegedly arranging a better insurance deal for Wayne Rooney than other England players.
Shepherd claims he has learned a special deal was struck done with insurers before Manchester United star Rooney linked up with the squad for the World Cup following his broken foot saga.
This means insurers would pay out more on a Rooney injury during the tournament than they would on others, including Newcastle’s Michael Owen, who now faces several months out with knee ligament damage.
Newcastle will now have to pick up a large portion of the bill for Owen’s rehabilitation themselves.
Shepherd told the Daily Express: “From what I hear – and the source is good - a separate deal was done for Rooney and it covered a transfer value of £30m (€43.6m) and his entire career earnings.
“If it is true that the FA have taken out extra cover for Rooney over and beyond what they have done for other players during the World Cup then that is wrong.
“We should be treated fairly, not discriminated against and this is discrimination of the highest order.
“We have already alerted our lawyers and if we have to go to court, we will. We want fair play and equality. Michael is every bit as important to us and other clubs will feel the same.”
